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THURSDAY, Sept. 20, 2012 — A defining moment in Eva McPherson's life came because of her weight. "I was just finishing student-teaching years ago and asked the principal if he would consider me for a full-time job," she wrote on Everyday Health's Facebook page. "He told me I should 'go home and lose 50 pounds,' and then he'd consider me."

This type of discrimination against people who are overweight or obese — two-thirds of the population — happens every day, say those considered conventionally overweight. Research has found that obese employees earn less than normal-weight peers. Some doctors refuse to treat overweight patients. Two-fifths of obese people say they've been socially shunned, while a third say they've been treated differently in public places, such as restaurants and airports. Even once-obese women who have lost the weight say they still contend with "anti-fat prejudice," a study in the journal Obesity found.

Even TV personality Kelly Osbourne battles this prejudice, internally and externally. She lost 65 pounds in 2010, but said she'll always see herself as a "former fat girl."

"People who are larger and then they lose weight, you will always look in the mirror and see yourself as that fat girl, no matter what happens," she said, according to the celebrity gossip site FitPerez. "I don't see myself as that any more, but I did used to be 65 pounds heavier. I get this every single day: 'Oh you're so much skinnier and prettier in real life.' I'm like, 'Oh thank you, what a compliment. Have a nice day.' "

Face-to-face fat shaming isn't the only thing harming the mental health of overweight or obese people. Anti-obesity campaigns can do serious psychological harm — and very little physical good, a study published in the International Journal of Obesity found.

Researchers from Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity examined the messages aimed at overweight or obese Americans. Positive messages that emphasize something to do (e.g., eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables every day) are more motivating than scare-tactics, such as Georgia's "fat kids become fat adults" billboard campaign, researchers concluded.

'Demonizing' Obesity

New York City has taken a stronger legislative stance against obesity than anywhere else in the country. Trans fats in restaurants and sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces have been banned. Shock-and-awe PSAs blanket the city, warning about the dangers of sugar and fast food, encouraging citizens to exercise.

Still, the city's health commissioner, Thomas Farley, MD, says it is not the city's intent to "shame" overweight people into losing weight.

"We see the problem of obesity as arising from the environment in which we all live. I don’t blame individual people for that," he says. "We don’t see a need or a value in shaming people who are overweight. We simply think they are victims of their environments, which makes it too easy to consume calories and too hard to expend them."

Still, the public backlash against obesity spreads the message that there is something wrong with overweight people, which is just not the case, says the self-titled Fat Nutritionist Michelle Allison, who counsels clients in her practice to gain health at every size.

"Fat people are more stigmatized; fat has been demonized," she says. "I don’t think that there's any single weight where you can draw the line and say you’re not an okay person past this point. I want to see more tolerance of the fact that diversity exists in all things including weight. I would like to see people just consider that it's okay for people to come in all shapes and sizes."

As for McPherson, the student teacher who was asked to lose weight, she internalized the discrimination she experienced. She went home, shed the pounds, got the job, and now, years later, still records every bite in an effort to maintain her slimmer figure. But she is the exception, not the rule.

“By stigmatizing obesity or individuals struggling with their weight, campaigns can alienate the audience they intend to motivate and hinder the behaviors they intend to encourage,” said lead author Rebecca Puhl, the Rudd Center’s director of research in a release. “Public health campaigns that are designed to address obesity should carefully consider the kinds of messages that are disseminated, so that those who are struggling with obesity can be supported in their efforts to become healthier, rather than shamed and stigmatized."

TELL US: Have you ever felt stigmatized or ashamed because of your weight? Share your experiences in the comments below.

For more fitness, diet, and weight loss news, follow @weightloss on Twitter from the editors of @EverydayHealth. (Note: Mobile users won't be able to comment.)

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